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US 3,972,550 AGranted
Aligning-securing apparatus for a refrigerator door
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsStephen G. Boughton, James D. Wilkerson, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aligning-securing apparatus has holding elements that are inserted in respective openings of a refrigerator cabinet and a refrigerator door. In the installed position, the apparatus maintains the door aligned relative to the refrigerator cabinet during installation of the door on the cabinet and releasably maintains the door against vertical movement during shipping of the refrigerator.
Claims4
Apparatus comprising:
- a household refrigerator having a cabinet and a door, said cabinet and door having openings positioned at preselected locations relative one to the other in the aligned position of the door on the refrigerator cabinet;
- an aligning-securing element for aligning and for maintaining said door in alignment during shipping of said refrigerator, said aligning-securing element having a flange and first and second holding elements, said first holding element extending outwardly from a first surface of the flange and being of a size sufficient for insertion into and for being frictionally, releasably maintained in the opening of the cabinet with said first flange surface abutting the outer wall of the cabinet, and said second holding element extending outwardly from an opposed second surface of the flange and being of a size sufficient for insertion into and for being frictionally, releasably maintained in the opening of the door with said second flange surface abutting the inner wall of the door, whereby the door is preselectively aligned and maintained against vertical movement relative to the cabinet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.